Chandler awaits McGregor but which UFC star was offered ‘Iron’ as an opponent?

Conor McGregor Unable to Face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 due to a fractured toe on his left foot. The American revealed on his X account that the company had offered him a fight with a UFC star, but said he wanted to wait for the return of “The Notorious”.

Chandler has been waiting for about a year and a half to face the most charismatic fighter the UFC has ever seen. Both men played The Ultimate Fighter to show (TUF 31), and traditionally the two coaches face each other. That was the plan with both men, but while Chandler waited patiently for the Irishman, The former two-time UFC champion’s time never seemed to come.

While McGregor has not fought since July 2021When he broke his leg in his third fight against Dustin Poirier, Chandler has not been in the octagon since November 2022, when he also lost to ‘The diamond at UFC 281.

With McGregor out, Chandler is offered a fight against a UFC star, but who?

As the Irishman recovers from his latest injury, UFC president Dana White offered Chandler an attractive Plan B, taking on Islam Makhachev. for the lightweight title. However, Chander said he prefers to fight McGregor at the Sphere in Las Vegas once Mac is ready.

“I was offered Islam Makhachev in October, but if Conor McGregor’s little toe is ready by September, let’s do Sphere. The biggest sporting event in the history of sport!” said the American.

Moreover, Chandler explained that a “good, passionate American” can overcome Makhachev’s sambo. The Russian did not like this comment and quickly replied“You’re not a reliable guy, one tweet from your master and you’re out the door. Champ needs a real opponent,” the pound-for-pound No. 1 said.

McGregor’s return, after a long period of negotiations, was scheduled for UFC 303 last weekend, But two weeks before, the Irishman broke a toe during training and fell off the map. Chandler still wants to fight McGregor since he was told the check he would receive would be much larger than those he collected during his career. Given that factor, it’s no surprise that he’s prioritizing this matchup, even though he could be fighting for the lightweight title against Makhachev.

Makhachev doesn’t want Poirier

The Russian didn’t show much interest in the fight with Chandlerand the American shared a picture of himself mocking him. Despite this, Makhachev shared a tweet revealing that he needed new rivals.

One of the opponents who could face him at the end of the year is Arman Tsarukyan.number one in the ranking. However, the fighter of Armenian origin was sanctioned with nine months without a fight (three months if he leads a campaign against harassment) for punching a fan as he walked to the cage at UFC 300The Makhachev vs Tsarukyan match is a world-class clash, but it is now on hold because of Tsarukyan’s incident with that fan.

Makhachev’s last opponent, Dustin Poirier, asked for a rematch“If Arman can’t fight, let’s start over,” The diamond said alongside a photo of the first fight between the two.

During their fight, the Dagestani submitted him in the fifth round in a war that left Poirier with a broken nose and several ribs. However, Makhachev gave him a negative answer.: “No thanks, retire… We’re fine.”